Electrical mounting device



May 31, 1949.

H. s. JOHNSTQNE 2,471,625

ELECTRICAL MOUNTING DEVICE Filed Aug. 18, 1944 F/GJ m/vs/v TOR H. G. JOHNS TONE av A T TORNEV Patented May 31, 1949 ELECTRICAL MOUNTING DEVICE Harold G. Johnstone, Plainfield, N. J., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application August 18, 1944, Serial No. 550,052

2 Claims.

This invention relates to electrical mounting devices and more particularly to a combined electrical terminal and support and to a device employing such terminals for supporting an electrical unit.

There are many occasions in various electrical arts where it is desirable to simultaneously support a delicatajlcctricalunitaand provide for electrical cfinneqtion ofthesameto other element of an electrical assembly. i'hus, in particular, the delicate slices of crystalline quartz,. often coated with a fine layer of metal on one or both sides, which have found so many applications of late, must often be supported and at the same time have their coatings electrically connected to relatively massive terminals for conne tion to other electrical parts of an asssembly. The same may be true of other electrical units, e. g. coils or condensers too delicate and fragile to be dealt with in ordinary ways.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple, reliable mount for an electrical unit which unit has one or more projecting and relatively stiff connection portions or members.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention may be embodied in mount for an electrical unit having a pair of oppositely extending conductive terminals, the said mount com prising a base. a pair of spaced conductive poo-ts mounted in the base and insulated from each other, a. pair of resilient conductive terminal gripping connector member mounted one on each post and having their terminal gripping portions normally spaced apart a distance greater than the span of the terminals of the electrical unit to be mounted, each connector member being formed at its terminal gripping portion with mutually opposed prongs between which a terminal of the electrical unit may be forced to be held thereby, and the parts being so proportioned and related that when both terminals of an electrical unit are gripped respectively between the prongs of the two connector members the terminal gripping portions of the connector members are held spaced less than their normal distance apart against the tension of their resilience and the unit is held therebetween under permanent tension.

Other objects and features of the invention will appear from the following detailed description of one embodiment thereof taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which the same reference numerals are applied to identical parts in the several figures, and in which Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a mount for an electrical unit and constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view thereof on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view thereof on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a detached face view of one of the sup port terminals;

Fig. 5 is a detached face view of a modified form of terminal on a smaller scale;

Fig. 6 is a similar view of another modified form of terminal;

Fig. 7 is a similar view of a third modified form of terminal;

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 1 of a generalized form, on a smaller scale, and

Fig. 9 is a face view of another form of terminal to receive a cylindrical member.

The embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 presents a mount, constructed in accordance with the invention, to support, and to provide electrical connections to the metal coatings of, a slice of crystalline quartz having metal coatings on both sides, such as is familiarly known in the art as a crystal, tout court. This particular crystal, generally indicated at 20, consists of a thin square slice 2| of crystalline quartz. On the front face (Fig. 1) of the quartz slice 2| is a circular area having a coating 22 of metal thereon with a strip like extension 24 of. the coating running out to the left corner 26 of the quartz. On the rear face is a similar coating 23 with a similar extension running to the right corner 21 of the quartz. The combination of the quartz slice or wafer 2| with its coatings 22 and 23 and their extensions 24 and 25 will hereinafter be called simply the crystal and designated as a unit by the number 20.

The mount for the crystal has two relatively large and sturdy metal posts 21 and 28 rigidly secured. parallel to each other an spaced a suitable distance apart, in a block or member 29 of insulating material. A combined terminal and support 30 is mounted on the post 21. This member 30 is a rectangular strip of elastic metal bent to provide a horizontal foot 3| and an upstanding upright 32. The whole may be of any suitably resilient and conductive metal, e. g. spring brass, bronze, steel or the like, which will allow the member 30 to be deformed from its natural shape as shown in broken lines in Fig. 1 to the shape shown in full lines without taking any set. When detached and free, as in Fig. 4, the normal angle between the foot 3| and upright 32 is considerably smaller than when the member 30 is under permanent tension in its intended use, as in Fig. 1. The foot 3I may be suitably perforated as at 33 in Fig. 4 to slip snugly over the post 21, and be secured thereon with solder as at 34 in Fig. 1. Or the imperforate foot I 3I may be spot welded to the fiat top of the post, as in Fig. 8, if the metals in question are suitably compatible. The upright 32 is perforated in a suitable location as at 35 to form, on each side of the axis of the upright, a pair of inwardly extending sharp pointed lobes or prongs, such as 36 and 38 pointing back from near the front edge of the upright and 31 and 39 extending forward from near the rear edge of the upright, the points 36 and 37 being originally substantially in contact, and the points 38 and 39 likewise, as in Fig. 4. An identically similar combined terminal and support 40 is mounted on the post 28 in similar fashion.

When the mount is assembled and before a crystal is placed in it, the uprights 32 and 42 stand in their normal positions and slanting away from each other so that the distance between the prong edged perforations or terminal gripping portions of the members 30 and 40 is greater than the span between the terminals 24 and 25 to be gripped by these, as shown in broken lines in Fig. 1; and at this time the points 36, 31, 3B and 39 are flat with the rest of the upright. A crystal is then held in position between the uprights 32 and 42 with its plane perpendicular to the uprights and its corners 26 and 21, respectively, at the centers of the spaces between the four points of each upright. The uprights ar carefully together until thififisy mg t hg ggsltions shown irTfIHl'lTHe'sTfi'FigTl. In so doing, the four D QI p oggs 3 3l, 38 and 39 are bowed outwardly as shown by the crystal wedging through between them, and, in effect, become Eihiiifib -their unstressed positions when the squeezing pressure is released. So effective is this action that when the squeezing pressure is released, the assembly remains in the state illustrated in full lines in Fig. l, with the crystal under continuous tension along its horizontal diagonal because of the outward pull of the uprights 32 and 42. The tension thus exerted has the additional advantage of effecting and keeping effective an electrical connection between the uprights 32 and 42 and the metal coating extensions 24 and 25, respectively, which is not affected by even heavy jars or vibrations, short of destruction of the crystal, which does not have to be soldered, and which does not become loose or uncertain or variable in its electrical resistance.

The fact that the crystal or other unit is continuously under tension to maintain a tight sup porting grip and tight electrical connection between the connec or support and the unit is of material importance. Apparatus including fragile units, especially crystals, are employed by all of the armed services in great number and variety, and frequently in situations where severe shocks to the apparatus are unavoidable. Being supported in tension, it is almost impossible for any shock to impose a damaging stress on the unit, as would be the case were the unit supported in compression.

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 show alternative forms of the prongs or points to engage the crystal and are believed to be self-explanatory, beyond noting that the prongs in Figs. 6 and 7 have edges of measurable length instead of points to engage the crystal, which may be preferable where more than point contact is desired for the electrical connection of the supporting member to the metal coating of the crystal.

In Figs. 8 and 9 are shown a modified form of mount and of support member, particularly adapted to an electrical unit I20 having cylindrical terminals. The aperture I35 in the member I32 is simply a pair of crossed slits, providing four prongs or points I36 to engage the terminal I24. The element I20 is here thought of as a condenser or coil encased in some suitable form of housing with its terminals I25 and I26 projecting from opposite sides of the housing.

Other modifications within the scope and spirit of the appended claims will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

1. A mount for quickly attaching under gripping tension an electrical unit having a pair of spaced conductive terminals, including an insulator, a pair of resilient metal connector members mounted on the insulator and normally slanting upward and away from each other, each of said connector members having an aperture therein providing mutually opposed prongs between which a terminal of the electrical unit may be forced to be held thereby, and the parts being so related that when both terminals of the elec- 0 trical unit are gripped respectively between the prongs of the two connector members the pronged apertures are held spaced less than their normal distance apart to securely hold the unit under a permanent pulling tension.

2. A mount for quickly attaching under permanent tension an electrical unit having a pair of spaced con dggtive ,terminals, including a base, a pair of spaced resilient metal connector members insulatively mounted in the base and normally slanting away from each other and tensioned to pull away from each other, each of said connector members being perforated to form a plurality of inwardly extending sharp pointed p igs between which a terminal 0 e cee};- cal unit may be forced tdc'a'use the prongs to bgw.ontwarlrand dig ip to the terminal, the parts of the mount being so rel'atedthat'when the connector members are squeezed together and the terminals of the electrical unit inserted in the apertures therein and the pressure released the connector members are prevented from springing back to unstressed normal position because of the gripping tension exerted on the terminals of the unit by the connector members.

HAROLD G. JOHNSTONE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 849,159 Parker Apr. 2, 1907 913,024 Meacham Feb. 23, 1909 958,219 Blake May 17, 1910 972,362 Gravel Oct. 11, 1910 1,213,632 Hammond Jan. 23, 191'? 1,369,221 Currier Feb. 22, 1921 1,652,927 Buchanan Dec. 13, 1927 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 12,033 Norway Feb. 7, 1903 

